Pairing an Apple Remote with your Mac

By Jeff Gamet

May 11th, 2009 12:15 PM EDT

Apple's laptop lineup includes a built-in IR port designed to work with the Apple Remote so you can watch movies, check out photos and listen to music without touching your keyboard. The problem is that every Apple Remote will control any compatible Mac -- unless you pair your remote with your Mac.

To pair an Apple Remote with your Mac, do this:

Make sure your Mac is on and awake.

Hold the dark end of the remote a few inches away from your Mac.

Press and hold the Menu and Next buttons for about five seconds or until the paired remote icon appears on your Mac's display.

Now your remote will work with just your Mac.

To unpair an Apple Remote so you can use it with other Macs or an Apple TV, do this:

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences

Select the Security Preferences Pane

Click the Unpair button.

Pairing your Apple Remote with your Mac prevents accidental remote controlling in public, which is a real possibility in places like coffee shops where MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs seem to congregate.